The Three Categories of People Based on Their Origins

The content of our recent fellowship has been about discerning various types of people—distinguishing their different categories and classifications based on their origins, and then discerning the essence of various types of people through their diverse manifestations in real life. Learning to discern various types of people is beneficial in regard to how to correctly treat them and how to correctly treat yourself, isn’t it? (Yes.) Hasn’t fellowshipping on these things also resolved people’s previous notions and imaginings about believers in God? For example, many people used to treat all believers as brothers and sisters. As long as someone was in the church, as long as they were enthusiastic in doing their duty, then no matter how much evil they committed, how terrible their humanity was, or how arrogant, cunning, or deceitful their disposition was, these people treated them as brothers and sisters and helped them with love. Do such people have discernment? (No.) Through these past few years of watering and feeding, your viewpoints have changed considerably, haven’t they? (Yes.) Now that your viewpoints have changed, aren’t you relatively principled in treating various types of people? (Yes.) Aren’t your viewpoints and attitudes toward various types of people different from before? (Yes, they are different.) Before fellowshipping on these issues, people had no discernment of various types of people, believing that as long as someone believed in God, they were a good person, a member of God’s house, and that even those with bad humanity were those whom God intends to save. Looking at it now, is that the case? (No.) This is now not the case. So, looking at it now, are there more good people or bad people? (I think there are more bad people. Previously, I saw many people as quite good, but through God’s fellowship and by relating it to the manifestations of various types of people, I feel there are more bad people.) Previously, at most, you had some discernment of those who were obviously disbelievers, opportunists, evil spirits, unclean spirits, and those who could cause obvious disruptions and disturbances, knowing they were not good people or brothers and sisters. Now, through such fellowship, aside from being able to discern those with obvious manifestations, aren’t you basically able to discern all people based on their revelations and manifestations? (Yes.) So, after such fellowship, when you interact with people again, doesn’t it feel different from before? (It’s a bit different. Now when I interact with people, I focus on observing their revelations and what viewpoints they express when they encounter things, to gauge whether they are reincarnated from humans, animals, or devils. I have come to focus on discerning people based on their essence and classification.) This means you’ve learned to discern people. Can you discern yourself, then? (A little.) In short, fellowshipping on this topic is beneficial for discerning people. It can help you discern the behaviors and viewpoints of various types of people and see through to the essence of these people. This way, you will treat various types of people according to principles, and when encountering some special people, events, or things, you won’t treat them based on notions and imaginings, and you will be able to grasp some basic principles in handling problems, thus doing fewer foolish things. For example, previously, when seeing some people with abnormal behavior or distorted thoughts and views, you might have thought such people had poor caliber and no comprehension ability, or that they had heard few sermons and had too shallow a foundation, and that therefore you should put in some effort to water and help them more. Now, through fellowship, having gained discernment of those reincarnated from animals and those reincarnated from devils, you will abandon those previous foolish practices and no longer engage in fruitless tasks. So, can you treat people according to the truth principles? (We can do it somewhat.) Will you have deviations in your practice? (If I can’t judge a person’s essence accurately, I might have deviations in my practice.) Under what circumstances would you have deviations in your practice? Suppose their outward behavior strongly conforms to most people’s notions—they can pay a price and forsake things, often say correct things, and frequently give charity and help others—in terms of humanity, this person is considered kind, but at the same time, they simply are not normal, and they often exhibit some extreme behaviors, and they display some supernatural manifestations, would you be able to discern such a person? Do you know how to treat them? (Only because of God’s fellowship last time do I know that such a person is one of those reincarnated from devils.) You can characterize their essence as being that of a devil and can see through this fact, but can you determine what the appropriate way to treat them is based on their manifestations in daily life and their current state? This involves the principles of treating people. So, what is the appropriate way to treat this type of person? If their state of life is basically normal, they haven’t caused disturbances to the church’s work, and haven’t disturbed others, then treat them correctly—if they can render service, let them do so; if they cannot, and have caused disturbances to others, and most people have seen through their manifestations and revelations and can determine that their essence is that of a devil, then it’s not too late to handle them by clearing them out. Isn’t this a principle? (Yes.) This is a principle; you must be clear in your heart. No matter how they are handled afterward, the timing must be appropriate. Suppose you see through them, but most people haven’t had contact with them, much less seen through them. If you then directly characterize and handle them without fellowshipping on the truth and explaining how to discern them, that is too rash. And suppose that after seeing through to their essence, you start to feel repulsion toward them, and then look for opportunities to prune them, or always target them in your words and actions, as well as when fellowshipping on the truth—is this a good way to act? (No.) Why not? (Because if we treat them this way, most people won’t know what’s going on and might even develop misunderstandings. This person’s essence must be revealed and laid bare through facts, and only when people have discernment of them is it then appropriate to expose and dissect them or prune them—everyone will understand then. If this person is not someone who pursues the truth, but doesn’t cause disturbances and can still render some service, then we should let them render service. If we know they are not someone who pursues the truth yet still constantly prune them, it will affect their performance of duty.) That’s right. Acting that way is unprincipled. When treating those reincarnated from devils and those reincarnated from animals, even if, through contact and observation over a long period of time, you have seen through to their essence, you should exercise some wisdom and treat them according to principles. It’s okay to exercise wisdom, but you cannot violate principles. There are many details involved in treating such people according to principles. One of them is that even if you see clearly that they are people averse to the truth, whose essence is that of devils, you cannot always find fault with them or nitpick them to prune them, or expose them at every turn. They won’t know what’s going on; they’ll be clueless, and won’t know why you’re pruning and targeting them. Doing this will even affect their performance of duty. Even if, in others’ eyes, you are not wrong in what you do or say, acting this way not only yields no results but even leads to adverse consequences, and it does not conform to the truth principles. Therefore, no matter what type of person you are dealing with, you must treat them according to principles and impartially; don’t act based on how you feel. It’s okay to exercise some wisdom, but you must treat them according to principles. Acting this way, for one thing, adheres to order and follows rules, and is less likely to cause disruptions; for another, it also proves you have a God-fearing heart, that you are not running amok committing misdeeds, and not willfully or recklessly doing things according to your own intentions. You must have principles in treating every type of person. Whether they are devils, animals, or humans, you must treat them according to principles. You must be able to discern these types of people and grasp the principles for treating people. You should not have distorted comprehension when it comes to this matter, right? (Right.) Do not do anything disruptive. If you do something that causes disruptions or disturbances, then you are too stupid; this is not what a human should do. Understood? (Understood.)

Previously, we fellowshipped about the manifestations of the essences of those reincarnated from animals and those reincarnated from devils, who are of two different classifications. This helped people see that although all types of people have a human appearance, the differences in their essence and their classification can be discerned through the different attitudes they have toward the truth. Regardless of what a person’s outward appearance is like—perhaps someone has well-proportioned features, looks quite refined and kindhearted, or seems educated, well-bred, in possession of status and grace, and even seems to have dignity, to be quite great, not an ordinary person—none of these are the basis for characterizing their essence. No matter what their looks are like, whether they are tall or short, fat or thin, what their skin color is, or whether their life is affluent or impoverished, none of these can demonstrate what their essence truly is. Characterizing a person’s essence cannot be based on the standards of human traditional culture or sayings about moral conduct, nor can it be based on mottos or famous sayings of renowned people that get summarized by people throughout history, or the misleading statements of ruling parties. What, then, should it be based on? People must use God’s words, the truth expressed by God and God’s requirements for people, as the basis to judge and determine the essence of various types of people. One absolutely must not judge people based on their outward appearance, their gifts, or the knowledge they have come to grasp, and certainly not based on a person’s status or the role they play in society and among people. All such ways of judging people are wrong. One must judge people based on God’s words; only God’s words are the truth. For one thing, it must be based on the truth; for another, it must be based on a person’s attitude toward the truth and whether they can comprehend the truth. It is most accurate to discern a person’s essence and determine their classification based on the truth. There will certainly be no error.

The Characteristics of People Reincarnated From Humans

I. Possessing Conscience and Reason

After fellowshipping on the manifestations of those two types of people—those reincarnated from animals and those reincarnated from devils—next we should fellowship on the manifestations of those who are reincarnated from true humans. We’ve now come to the most crucial part. Those reincarnated from animals have certain manifestations and characteristics to show for this, as do those reincarnated from devils. So, do those reincarnated from humans also have corresponding manifestations and characteristics? (Yes.) This is certain. We have mentioned some of the basic manifestations and characteristics of humanity possessed by true humans. Today, we will fellowship on the specific manifestations and characteristics of those reincarnated from humans. Given that the classification of this type of person is human, before we formally fellowship, let’s first think about what the basic characteristics of being a human are. Or, through your many years of interacting and associating with people, what are the characteristics you have observed in this type of person who has the classification of being human? What are their manifestations? Go ahead. (This type of person who has the classification of being human possesses conscience and reason. For example, if they do something wrong, or do wrong by somebody, or do something that violates the truth, they feel reproached in their conscience.) (This type of person can at least comprehend the truth, loves positive things, and detests negative things. Their conscience and reason are sound.) Being able to comprehend the truth is a relatively high standard. Before they encounter the truth, what characteristics of humanity does this type of person possess? What are the characteristics of their actions, speech, and how they conduct themselves and deal with the world? What are the manifestations and revelations of normal humanity that they exhibit? That is, when they interact and associate with people, what manifestations do they show that allow others to see that they are positive figures? (They are relatively rational, they are kindhearted, they don’t do things that cheat or harm others, and they have no intention of harming others.) What you can think of are these positive manifestations that relatively conform to humanity, which are the manifestations of a good person in people’s minds. Being kindhearted, not cheating or harming others, being true to their word, having a sense of responsibility, being able to get along well with others, yearning for positive things and detesting negative things—these are all some positive manifestations of humanity. Are there any more? (There is also having spiritual understanding—being able to understand God’s words.) Having spiritual understanding is unrelated to humanity, which we are currently discussing. We are mainly talking about the various viewpoints of people with humanity in handling matters, as well as manifestations of the essence of one’s self-conduct and treatment of others, their principles and minimum standards when it comes to their self-conduct and actions, and so on. The positive manifestations of humanity that people can see and learn of are few in number. It seems that those among mankind who understand how to conduct themselves are truly rare. It’s no wonder that many say they have failed in conducting themselves. Look at how actors in movies and TV shows portray positive characters—when it comes to revealing a certain viewpoint, manifestation, or attitude in a matter, the actors don’t know how to act or express it, and their understanding in this area is blank. If you ask them to play a hooligan, a hoodlum, a mafia boss, a prostitute, a dissolute woman, or a famous or great person, they can act the part very well, portraying these people’s every gesture, every word and action, even a single glance, with absolute vividness and specificity. Some viewers, after seeing them play a negative role, even mistakenly believe they truly are the bad person from the show, and will want to hit them if they ever see them. Some will even spit on them. See how vividly they portrayed their role, they really brought that bad person to life. What about when it comes to playing a good person? Can people gain some inspiration from their performance, knowing how to be a person with humanity? There really are no such actors. Mankind is blank when it comes to how to be a person with humanity. Not only are scriptwriters and directors blank, but the audience is also blank—no one understands what it means to have humanity. And so, it’s portrayed with utter hollowness in movies and TV shows. For example, when an actor plays a Communist Party member closing his eyes just before he dies, viewers say, “He’s definitely not dead yet, he hasn’t paid his party dues!” Sure enough, in less than a second, he opens his eyes, and trembling, takes a few coins out of his pocket, saying, “These are my party dues. I cannot owe the Party. May the Party rest assured. When I get to the other side, I will still be loyal to the Party, unswervingly, even unto death!” Only then does he pass away. This is how a person with humanity is portrayed in movies and TV shows. In the eyes of the audience, it’s actually completely hollow. Such people don’t exist in real life, and it’s very difficult for people to achieve this. Therefore, mankind simply doesn’t understand what true humanity is, and it’s very difficult for them to define its standard. Either the standard is set too high and it’s utterly hollow, or people are clueless and set it arbitrarily. In fact, the humanity possessed by a true human is very simple. How simple? It is something within your reach, something you can attain. What does it mean to be within your reach? It means it’s very practical, very real, very objective, not hollow at all. Because it is very objective and practical, people feel it is very ordinary and not worth mentioning at all, much less do they feel these manifestations are what mankind should exhibit. This mankind advocates for things that are grand, lofty, and impressive. Many people not only do not possess the manifestations of true humanity, but also despise them because the manifestations of normal humanity are very practical, very ordinary, very commonplace, and instead, they pursue and revere knowledge. In this way, an evil trend has formed throughout the whole of society, one that despises and looks down upon the manifestations of a true human. Even a person who truly has humanity does not feel that conducting themselves this way is being a true human or a person with humanity. On the contrary, they seek to become the so-called noble and extraordinary people advocated by the evil trends of society. This negates and covers up the humanity essence possessed by some people who have humanity. What does “cover up” mean here? It means no one considers you a person with humanity. It means that no matter what you do, others exclude you and look down on you, and that among people you have no place to use your talents, no place for you to speak, and no opportunity for you to put your strengths into play. “Negate” means your normal humanity is simply not worth mentioning among corrupt mankind. Having humanity is not something they advocate. What do they advocate? They advocate playing to the crowd, being a smooth operator, flattering and currying favor, and lying and deceiving, being able to say anything no matter how sickeningly sweet or contrary to their true feelings it is. Speaking the truth won’t get you anywhere in this society. No matter how good your humanity is, this society doesn’t advocate it, and will negate it. If you say some positive, just, or fair things, or words of conscience, if you say some rational things while assuming your proper place, they will exclude you, negate you, and belittle you. There are even some who will mock you, ridicule you, humiliate you, and then gather all wicked forces and powers to attack and ostracize you, ultimately making you feel too ashamed to show your face, making you negate yourself. You’ll end up thinking, “I’m no good, I can’t adapt to society’s trends, nor to these people. I don’t know how to carry out plots, I can’t contrive schemes or tricks, so it’s very difficult for me to survive among these people.” You start to feel very inferior, feeling unable to integrate with these people. Actually, you are unable to assimilate their philosophies for worldly dealings, their methods and means of handling matters, and their way of survival. After being negated by this evil trend and these evil people, you negate your own humanity, and then try every means possible to adapt to them, to follow them, to integrate into society, to integrate with these evil people, and to integrate into this evil trend. You try to copy how others use tricks, intrigues and schemes, and you also try to copy how others speak words of flattery, sickeningly sweet words, and words contrary to their true feelings. But no matter how you try to copy these things and no matter how much effort you put in, all in all, you feel these are not the words you want to speak or the things you want to do. Every word you speak is so contrary to your true feelings, and every thing you do makes you feel reproached in your conscience; you feel this is not what you should say or do. You live like this every day, wearing a mask. Though it seems that in terms of behavior, speech, or some thoughts and views you’ve integrated into this evil trend and integrated with this corrupt mankind, deep inside, you are pained, repressed, and resentful. After having such a life experience, you begin to yearn for fair and just treatment, for positive things, and for the light. So, what characteristics of humanity does such a person possess that allow them to have such feelings and such experiences in the midst of other people and evil trends? Actually, it’s very simple: When a person possesses the humanity essence of conscience and reason, they will have such experiences when living among people.

Conscience and reason are the two most fundamental things that those with humanity should possess. Although these two things have been discussed time and again, they are extremely important for people and are also the most important criteria for assessing whether a person’s classification is human. What does conscience refer to, specifically? I have said before that conscience is a faculty produced in a person’s heart, and that it makes certain demands of people, and is primarily manifested in the principles of conducting oneself and the minimum standards of self-conduct. Specifically, a person’s creed for conducting themselves, their principles for conducting themselves and dealing with the world, and the revelations of their humanity can prove whether or not they have a conscience. Just now, when I asked what conscience specifically refers to, you couldn’t answer. You focus only on what you consider to be profound truths, but as for truths of this kind, you feel they are too minor, too ordinary, and too insignificant to be worth mentioning, so you simply pay them no mind and don’t take them seriously. If a person has conscience, it means their humanity possesses two characteristics: One is uprightness, and the other is kindness. You may not be able to tell from outward appearance whether a person is kind or not, but if a person is kindhearted, you will know as soon as you associate with them. What is the basis for assessing whether a person is upright? It is their principles for conducting themselves and dealing with the world. If they are treacherous, cunning, insidious, worldly-wise, and scheming and inscrutable in how they conduct themselves and deal with the world, then this person is definitely not upright. If their way of conducting themselves and dealing with the world is very simple, very direct, very straightforward, if they speak very plainly to others, do not engage in crookedness or deceitfulness when interacting with people, speak and act without falsehood—calling black black and white white, distinguishing such things very clearly—can adhere to positive things, and do not compromise with evil forces, then this person is quite upright. If a person is both upright and kind, then this person has conscience, they possess the minimum characteristics of humanity. Another characteristic of humanity is reason. Reason is also a term and a topic that we often discuss, but no one has ever explicitly defined what reason is. What is included within reason, and what kind of manifestations constitute manifestations of having reason—are you clear on this? Most people are not very clear; their understanding in this area is still relatively vague. So, what does it mean to have reason? It means being able to say what should be said and do what should be done while taking the correct stance; this is having reason. If you are a person with humanity, then your speech and actions will be measured. You will know what words you should say, what things you should do, what your stance should be in speaking these words, and what manner of speech you should use to express a certain matter, within the current environment and based on your identity and status. You will have standards and moderation in your heart for these things. That is, your reason will be able to regulate your words and behavior, making your words and behavior appropriate, so that outwardly others will see them as rational and measured, with your speech and actions being just right and capable of edifying people. Regardless of whether, in terms of your caliber, your level of education, or your age, the words you say and the things you do are entirely appropriate or not, at the very least, you will have boundaries in your heart, a standard that keeps you in check, allowing you to speak and act in a rational state. This is what it means to have reason. No matter whom a person with reason faces—someone rich or poor, or someone with status or not—in any situation, their speech and actions are not constrained by whether their mood is good or bad, nor do they consider whether a matter is beneficial to them or not; they always have restraint in their heart, a standard or boundary that serves to regulate them. They will not intentionally spout twisted arguments, nor will they be unreasonably troublesome. Even if they are sometimes angry and very worked up inside, and their choice of words is not quite appropriate, the things they say do not constitute twisted arguments or fallacies; rather they are presentable and hold water. What does “hold water” mean? It means that even if what they say doesn’t necessarily conform to the truth, in the eyes of most people, this “reasoning” can hold up; it is generally recognized as something correct, and no one opposes it. Such a person is someone with reason.

These two aspects, conscience and reason, have both been explained clearly. The main manifestations of having humanity are these two: One is having conscience, and the other is having reason. Tell Me, are these two aspects hollow or not? (They’re not.) Aren’t they very real? (Yes.) They’re very real, and not hollow. Then why doesn’t mankind advocate them? Because a person with conscience possesses uprightness and kindness, and upright and kind people, amid evil trends and among evil, corrupt mankind, are considered to be repulsive, as well as extremely insignificant, looked down upon by everyone. If you are an upright and kind person, they will actually even interrogate you: “What’s the use of your being upright and kind? Do you have knowledge? Do you have social status? Do you have renown or power in society?” You say, “I have no renown or power; I am just a somewhat upright and kind person.” People will all laugh at you and spurn you. In their eyes, your having conscience, and your being upright and kind are not capital—without knowledge, status and renown, or power, you won’t get anywhere in society. They say, “You have conscience, but how much is conscience worth? What can you do? Can you employ intrigue and schemes, or deceive people? Can you win over people’s hearts and buy their favor?” You can’t do any of these. If you possess conscience, if you possess uprightness and kindness—these two aspects of humanity—then you won’t be interested in those things found in society’s evil trends, you won’t follow these trends, so you won’t get anywhere in society and will be ostracized by people. Why will they ostracize you? Because most people revere evil trends, and evil trends have become the mainstream in society—if you act according to your conscience and handle things impartially in all matters, then others will see you as a misfit and will exclude you. If, in the church, you can rely on your conscience and adhere to the truth principles in your speech and actions, and dare to expose and dissect evil people, then those who are of devils will lose their footing and be revealed; their intrigues and schemes, as well as their satanic nature that hates the truth, will be thoroughly laid bare. Therefore, these people who are of devils are especially afraid of there being those in the church who adhere to the truth principles. Whenever they see anyone who understands the truth, they exclude and suppress them, being very afraid that those who understand the truth will stand up to expose them, leading to them being revealed and eliminated. They are driven by their satanic nature to act this way. In God’s house, those who are of devils cannot stand firm, precisely because in God’s house, it is the truth that holds power, it is God that holds power. But it’s different in the nonbelieving world. Because atheism and evil trends prevail in this world, people with humanity cannot find their footing amid evil trends and among evil, corrupt mankind. Meanwhile, those who are ruthless in their tactics, insidious, and cunning are often the leaders, the standouts, the so-called elite among people. A person with humanity, regardless of their caliber, gifts, strengths, or talents, is excluded and has no opportunity to get ahead. As long as they speak a few fair words or handle matters impartially, those evil people and devils will torment them. Therefore, this evil mankind, which is of devils, disregards conscience; only those with humanity possess conscience. As for reason, the manifestation of having reason is that no matter what happens to a person, they can treat it rationally, speak and act justly, they won’t act according to their feelings or their renown or status, and they won’t compel or constrain others. They are able to treat a matter rationally: If it’s correct, it’s correct; if it’s incorrect, it’s incorrect; if it’s right, it’s right; if it’s wrong, it’s wrong. They evaluate things impartially and do things justly, according to principles, and they do not cross the moral boundaries of humanity. This is the manifestation of having reason. These two things, conscience and reason, do not hold up in society, especially in evil countries and amid evil trends, where they even more so do not hold up and are untenable. However, conscience and reason are precisely the two major characteristics that normal humanity possesses, and they are also characteristics that mankind should have. Only when you possess these two characteristics are you a true human. If you are a person with conscience and humanity, then for one thing, you will be particularly principled in how you conduct yourself and will be able to treat people in a relatively just way. No matter what your relationship with someone is like, or whether they have hurt you, you can treat them correctly and evaluate them objectively. This is uprightness, a characteristic of humanity. Additionally, if you possess kindness, another characteristic of humanity, then you will have a certain boundary when dealing with people or doing things, which can restrain you from speaking or acting against your conscience. For example, evil people always speak twisted words and spout twisted arguments, inverting black and white, and twisting facts. They hold grudges against and try to think of every which way to find opportunities to torment and retaliate against whoever is detrimental to them or who has hurt or targeted them. But for a person with humanity, because they possess uprightness and kindness, which are part of conscience, even if someone has harmed or cheated them, and they want to retaliate and take revenge, and they might say something harsh like, “I hate them to my core!” in moments of impetuousness, when presented with a real opportunity for revenge, their heart softens, and they relent; they can’t bring themselves to do it, they don’t have the heart. And after a while, they can no longer summon this hatred. This is what a kind person is like. If someone has cheated or harmed you, and you have an opportunity for revenge, an opportunity to see your enemy suffer punishment and retribution, would you be able to take action and do things to retaliate against them? When you’re feeling indignant, you might say, “I’ll definitely retaliate against them! They’re utterly terrible and ruthless!” But when an opportunity for revenge really comes, you can’t bring yourself to do it. You’ll say, “Forget it, that was so long ago. Let that be the end of it.” You won’t pursue it endlessly, nor will you insist on seeing your enemy suffer punishment or some bad end. You won’t live with hatred constantly in your heart; after a while, the hatred will dissipate. This is the manifestation of having a kind heart. Kindness is a characteristic manifestation of a person having conscience, and also a characteristic of having the classification of being a human. Of course, in the eyes of some, kindness is a weakness. Some nonbelievers might even think you are spineless and even egg you on, saying, “You need to be ruthless and coldhearted. When an opportunity for revenge comes, you should take a tooth for a tooth, subdue them yourself, and kill your enemy with your own hands.” But you ponder, “If I kill my enemy with my own hands, wouldn’t I be doing evil? Their living doesn’t affect me; it’s just that one thing they did went too far and hurt me, but that’s all in the past.” Over time, you find you don’t hate them anymore. Some people say you are too cowardly, not ruthless enough. You yourself also find this perplexing: “Why can’t I be ruthless? Why am I always lenient toward my enemies and unable to hold grudges?” In the eyes of some, having a kind heart is a weakness of humanity. But in reality, it is a characteristic of humanity, right? (Yes.)